An initial development of an integer programming model on nutrient recommendation for hypertension patient

Hypertension is commonly called a silent killer that could affect people all over the world. Unbalanced diets are one of the risk factors for hypertension. Therefore, hypertension patients must put high concern on their health by taking the right quality and quantity of nutrient foods. This paper has presented the initial development of a mathematical model that will produce a menu for hypertension patients with an optimum amount of nutrients in a day focusing only on female hypertension patients aged 40-60 in Malaysia, non-pregnant and free from any other diseases or allergies. To identify the required nutrition, this study will analyze the nutrient recommendations that are needed for hypertension patients. To formulate the modified mathematical model, a cross-analysis of past studies that employed mathematical programming techniques in diet plans was comprehensively presented. This analysis investigates the elements that constitute a mathematical model, which is the model's objective functions, constraints, sets and parameters. This research is intended to modify an IP model that limits this daily calorie intake and considering taking two bananas every day to satisfy the requirement amount of nutrients is the anticipated novelty of this study. In this study, only ten types of food will be used in the model construction. They are drinks, cereal flour-based, rice flour-based, cereal-based meals, meat dishes, vegetables, fruits, wheat flour-based, seafood and miscellaneous. This study only selected ten nutrients which are carbohydrates, protein, fiber, fats, calcium, magnesium, potassium, sodium, vitamin B2 and vitamin C. Other nutrients are considered insignificant and not considered in this study. The solution to the mathematical programming model is expected to be referred to as a guideline for hypertension patients.